Introduction
Frances P. Ruane is an Irish academic economist and former director of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin, Ireland 2006−2015.
Early life and education career
She is a native of Tuam, Co. Galway. She holds a B.A. in economics, an M.A. in econometrics from University College Dublin, and a DPhil from Oxford University. In 1977 she took up a teaching post at Trinity College, Dublin, becoming an associate professor of economics in 1991. She also worked at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Previously, she worked at the Industrial Development Authority and the Central Bank of Ireland.
ESRI
She succeeded Brendan Whelan as director of the ESRI on 1 December 2006.
Ruane has contributed to the understanding of international economics, industrial development, structural change, and firm heterogeneity. She has served on many committees and boards, including the Higher Education Authority, the Health Research Board, the Council of Economic Advisers (Scotland), the National Statistics Board, the European Advisory Committee on Statistical Information in the Economic and Social Spheres, the National Board for Science and Technology, the Industrial Development Authority, Forfás, and Bord Gáis.
Ruane regularly appears in the media.